Steam treating apparatus



Jum 1969 o. E. P. NORTON 3,447,346

STEAM TREATING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 9. 1966 United States Patent its. (:1. 68-5 3 Claims ABSTRACT or Inn DISCLOSURE A dye fixation for fabrics including a narrow sinuous fabric passageway with the walls thereof being heated and the passageway filled with superheated steam.

This invention relates to an apparatus for steam treating textile materials, and relates especially but not exclusively to an apparatus suitable for the steam fixation of dyestuffs onto cotton and/ or synthetic fiber materials.

A' disadvantage of conventional continuous atmospheric pressure steam treating apparatus is that such apparatus is incapable of operating at temperatures very much in excess of the boiling point of water, and hitherto it has been necessary to use a pressure vessel when treating the textile materials at temperatures above the boiling point of water. The use of such a pressure vessel is disadvantageous since elaborate pressure sealing devices are necessary if the textile material is to be steam treated in a continuous manner.

A further disadvantage of conventional atmospheric pressure steam treating apparatus is that they contain a relatively large volume of steam and even when the walls of the apparatus are heated the heating off the walls is not felt throughout the treating chamber but is confined to those parts of the chamber which are adjacent the walls.

It has been proposed, with a view to obviating or mitigating the disadvantages of conventional atmospheric pressure steam treating apparatus, to provide a continuous atmospheric pressure steam treating apparatus in which the steam treating chamber is of relatively narrow dimensions and in which the chamber walls are heated, and while this proposed treating apparatus can be operated at temperatures in excess of the boiling point of water, it still suflers from the disadvantage that it cannot be operated at the very high temperatures required for some modern textile treating processes.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a continuous atmospheric pressure steam treating apparatus which can be operated at temperatures considerably in excess of the boiling point of water.

According to the present invention there is provided a continuous atmospheric pressure apparatus for steam treating textile material comprising a steam treating chamber of relatively narrow dimensions through which the textile material to be treated can be run in a continuous manner, a steam delivery pipe extending into the chamber to distribute steam throughout the chamber, and a superheating device associated with the pipe externally of the chamber but closely adjacent thereto, whereby the stealn passing into the chamber can be heated to the required degree of superheat.

Ah embodiment of the present invention will now be des cribed, by way of example, with reference to the ac companying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a steam treating appara'tus in accordance with the present invention; and,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the superheating device.

3,447,346 Patented June 3, 1969 The continuous atmospheric pressure steam treating apparatus comprises a relatively narrow chamber 5 divided internally into two passageways by a division wall 6 which stops short of a roof or top surface 7 of the chamber 5. Side walls 8 and the division wall 6 of the chamber 5 are controllably heated by any known convenient means. The chamber 5 is open as indicated at 9 at its bottom and there are provided three textile-material guiding rolls, one roll 10 above the division wall 6, and a pair of spaced rolls 11 adjacent the bottom of each of the side walls 8 of the chamber 5. The chamber 5 is closed by end walls 12 (only one of which is shown) so that entry to and exit from the chamber 5 is effected via the open bottom 9 of the chamber 5.

The textile material T to be treated enters, after having passed under one of the rolls 11, the chamber 5 via the open bottom 9, passes up the passageway between one of the side walls 8 and the division wall 6, over the roller 10 above the division wall 6, down the passageway between the other side wall 8 and division wall 6 and then out of the open bottom 9 of the chamber 5 under the other I roll 11.

Steam is fed into the passageways of the treating cham her 5 by a series of perforated pipes 13 extending through one of the end walls 12 of the chamber 5, and possibly extending fully between the two end walls 12 of the chamber 5. These pipes 13 are located adjacent the open bottom 9 of the chamber 5 and are perforated on their upper surface as indicated at 14 so that the steam emanating therefrom is directed upwardly. Each pipe 13 has at one side a condensate collecting trough 15 which empties via suitable outlets in the chamber end wall or walls 12.

Each pipe 13 is associated with a superheating device 16 which is mounted on the end wall 12 of the chamber 5 through which the pipes 13 extend and this superheating device 16 comprises a small insulated chamber 17 in which the pipe 13 is coiled as indicated at 18 before extending back to the source of steam supply (not shown), and associated with this coiled length of pipe 18 is a heater 19 which may for example be a gas burner. The gas burner 19 extends into the chamber 17 which is formed at the top with an outlet 20 for gaseous products.

In use, the superheating devices serve to pre-heat the steam from the steam supply to the required degree of superheat before it enters the steaming chamber 5.

As a result of the present invention there is provided an atmospheric pressure steaming apparatus which can be continuously operated at temperatures considerably in excess of the boiling point of water and with the textile material to be treated running continuously through the treating chamber.

By using a relatively narrow treating chamber 5 the total volume of the chamber 5 is consequently reduced and the textile material T passes through a narrow space between the heated walls 6 and 8 so that the steam inside the chamber 5 and between the heated walls 6 and 8 can be superheated to give a temperature approaching that of the temperature in the heated walls 6 and 8. The superheating device 16 ensures that the steam being delivered into the treating chamber 5 is at the same temperature as the steam inside the walls, or even at a slightly greater temperature.

While reference has been made to the use of a gas burn er in the superheating device, it will be appreciated that any suitable heating device may be employed for example it may be operated by means of electricity, gas or oil.

In a modification, two or more pipes 13 may be served by a single superheating device 16.

In another modification, each pipe 13 has its own superheating device 16, the superheating devices 16 of adjacent pipes 13 being at different ends of the chamber 5. It is considered that this arrangement will provide a more level or uniform temperature in the chamber 5.

The treating chamber, it will be manifest, may have more than one up-and-down textile path. There may be a multiplicity of such paths so that the number of division walls and guiding rolls requires to be correspondingly increased. The number of such paths will vary from apparatus to apparatus depending on the speed and processing time required.

What is claimed is:

1. A continuous dye fixation apparatus comprising side and end walls, a top wall and an open bottom defining a. narrow vertical chamber through which textile material can be continuously led, a division wall extending between the end walls in substantial parallelism to the side walls dividing the chamber into two passageways, said division wall terminating short of said top wall and open bottom, said side, end and division walls being heated, guide means below the open bottom on each side of the division wall, further guide means above the division wall, said guide and further guide means serving for guiding the textile material'through the open bottom, upwardly of the passageway located between the division wall and one side wall, downwardly of the passageway between the division wall and the other side wall and outwardly through the open bottom, at least one steam delivery pipe located in each passageway in proximity to the lower end of the division wall, each of said pipes extending in parallelism to the side and division walls and having outlets through which steam can pass upwardly into the passageway to provide an oxygen-free atmosphere, and a superheating device mounted on the outside of one end wall operably connected to each delivery pipe so that the steam delivered into the passageway is at the required degree of super-heat, said superheating device including an insulated chamber, a coiled pipe in the chamber in communication with the steam delivery pipe and a source of steam supply, and means for heating the coiled pipe for raising the steam passing therethrough to the required degree of superheat.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the heating means is a gas burner and the insulated chamber has an outlet at its top for egress of gaseous products.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which each steam delivery pipe is provided with a trough for collecting and removing condensate from the steam filled passageway.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,852,179 4/ 1932 McDonald 68207 X 2,777,750 1/1957 Sprague et al. 68-5 X 3,318,114 5/ 1967 Schneider 68-5 i FOREIGN PATENTS 742,207 12/ 1955 Great Britain. 909,627 10/ 1962 Great Britain.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

